Strong connection between Ana Pastor and Rafa Nadal over a question about feminism and salaries: “You seem tense”

Ana Pastor scored an important milestone by getting the first interview with Rafa Nadal since he announced his return to the courts. It aired last night on The objective of La Sexta and the meeting left several interesting moments about the present and future of the Spanish athlete. What is causing the most talk, without a doubt, is the scuffle between the journalist and the tennis player over feminism, equal opportunities and public investment for women in sports.

Rafa Nadal became defensive when Ana Pastor raised this question, putting on the table the perception she has of the tennis player. “This is almost a personal feeling. You seem uncomfortable when you talk…”said the presenter. “Not at all. What I am not is hypocritical. I don't want to say things that are easy for me to say and I don't think, Ana,” protested Nadal, who from the first moment made his thesis clear: equal opportunities for men and women, but that salaries depend on what each one wants. generate, regardless of gender.

“The investment for me should be the same for men and women. Opportunities? The same. Salaries… the same? No, for what?“, he explained to Ana Pastor. “Tell me what it means to be a feminist,” the tennis player continued. “If a feminist means believing that a man and a woman deserve exactly the same opportunities, I am a feminist”Nadal declared. “Of course, that's being a feminist,” Pastor confirmed. “I have a son and a daughter and I want them to have the opportunities. Then, I want them to work for them,” the presenter continued. “Of course, and I have a sister, I have a mother…” Nadal said, making it clear that they agreed on that point.

In any case, the athlete was very clear when explaining his point of view again, which does not involve ensuring that salaries are equal by 'law'. “Of course I want equality. And equality does not lie in giving away. It lies in If Serena Williams earns more than me, I want Serena to earn more than me. If she fills stadiums, it is more important and her potential in the US is greater than in Spain, I do not want, because I am Rafa Nadal, to win more than Serena,” she explained. “I want women to earn more than men if they generate more than men”he insisted.

Rafa Nadal's anger with Ana Pastor: “Are we crazy or what?”

At this point, Nadal recalled that, compared to other sports where there are more inequalities, women's tennis is on par with men's tennis “because at the time there was the opportunity for women's tennis to be seen and now it is liked in the world.” world”. “So, since women's tennis is very popular, they make a lot of money. Don't ask me what I think about my sport, because I have supported that all my life. Go ask other sports,” he said. “Do you think I can think that a man, because he is a man, has to be more important or earn more than a woman? Are we crazy or what?”is indignant.

Ana Pastor wanted to redirect the situation by explaining that to achieve this equality it is important to invest and provide the same starting means so that the opportunities for success can be the same between men and women. “Of course, from the public sector we must give the same opportunity in infrastructure, trainers… Who do you think you're talking to?“Asked Nadal. “But if you tell me that the '50th' in the world has to earn the same as Djokovic, well that's not the case, because in the end we have to go to standards that everyone has to earn the same for decree. That's another debate we can have,” he said.